Kerala hospitals to monitor medicine stocks, ensure generic prescriptions for uninterrupted care
To ensure uninterrupted treatment, Health Minister K Muraleedharan issued a circular directing state hospitals to monitor medicine stocks, provide updated availability lists, prescribe generic names, and submit fortnightly laboratory reports.
To ensure uninterrupted treatment, Health Minister K Muraleedharan issued a circular directing state hospitals to monitor medicine stocks, provide updated availability lists, prescribe generic names, and submit fortnightly laboratory reports.
To ensure uninterrupted treatment, Health Minister K Muraleedharan issued a circular directing state hospitals to monitor medicine stocks, provide updated availability lists, prescribe generic names, and submit fortnightly laboratory reports.
In a bid to ensure adequate stocks of medicines at government hospitals across the state, Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Monday announced that the department had issued a circular directing hospitals to closely monitor stocks to ensure uninterrupted treatment.
The circular, issued to the Director of Health Services and the Director of Medical Education, directs hospitals to provide doctors in outpatient (OP) departments with updated lists of medicines available in stock. The move aims to help doctors identify and prescribe medicines available at the hospital, thereby preventing patients from facing difficulties due to shortages.
Doctors have also been directed to mandatorily mention the generic names of medicines in their prescriptions.
The availability of chemicals and reagents required for laboratory tests must also be monitored. Hospitals are required to submit reports on reagent stocks and projected requirements once every fortnight to identify potential shortages in advance and ensure the timely availability of necessary supplies.
The circular also states that hospital development committee funds may be used to purchase materials required for laboratory tests when they are unavailable.
The Health Department aims to ensure timely and uninterrupted treatment for patients at government hospitals by ensuring the availability of medicines and laboratory supplies while improving stock monitoring and distribution systems, Minister K Muraleedharan said.